The failure of the EU

Do read Gisela Stuart's piece in The Telegraph, here's an extract:

"Europe is in crisis and many of the critical comments which used to be so typically British can now be heard elsewhere. The traditional response to crisis in the EU is "more Europe" – to force through integration that would not previously have been tolerated. This may happen again, but proponents of further integration and political union are playing with fire. "

Gordon Brown - Gisela Stuart's got your number

From today's Times, "Gordon Brown’s attempts to restore his authority were dealt a blow yesterday when a senior Labour MP accused him of “lacking veracity” ahead of his first EU summit as Prime Minister.

Gisela Stuart, a former minister and ally of Tony Blair, said that Mr Brown’s refusal to hold a referendum on the EU reform treaty was “patently dishonest”. She said that he must reverse the policy if he was to win back the trust of the British people, lost after his decision to call off an autumn election.
...
Ms Stuart, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, dismissed the “red lines” as “red herrings”. In an article in the London Evening Standard she wrote: “The path adopted by the Government is neither honest not coherent. We have reached the absurd position where the Government says there will be a referendum only if its ‘red lines’ are not met, so presumably it will ask people to vote ‘no’ on a treaty it has not signed.

“The ‘red lines’ are red herrings. It’s a matter of trust and integrity. A referendum was promised. It should be delivered. If Labour can’t trust the people, why should the people trust Labour?” She added: “Recent events have shown some rather old-style politics, with the Prime Minister looking indecisive and lacking veracity.

“To pretend that Labour was not gearing up for an election or that opinion polls played no part in the decision to postpone it was silly and gave David Cameron some of his most damaging ammunition.” She said that the new EU treaty contained “90-95 per cent” of the old document."

Gisella Stuart should know, she was involved in drafting the Constitution. She is a brave woman crossing Gordon Brown though.

European Constitution - from the horses mouth

Gisela Stauart was a Labour government representative on the EU group that drew up the EU Constitution so she knows what is what regarding this matter. She says that it is clear from the text of the Treaty that the European Council, see my earlier article, will get massively increased powers and that it will be the body that used to meet "in order to co-ordinate the interest of the nation states" will now become "the body where heads of state meet... subordinate to the union's interests". She claimed that ministers (which must include the Prime Minister) are either being "deliberately disingenuous or ill-informed" when they claim the treaty is not substantial enough to merit a referendum.

A rare show of independence of thought from a Labour MP, I wish there were more like her.